Home > Hackers shift focus from computers to phones and other mobile devices

Hackers shift focus from computers to phones and other mobile devices

By smorgan

Created 01/02/2012 - 11:25am

Monday, January 2, 2012 - 11:25am

NBC NATIONAL NEWS —
Watch your pocket. Computer security giant McAfee recently came out with a list of threat predictions for the new year, and it's not pretty.

As expected, hackers are targeting your mobile devices more than ever.

We may use them like computers, but on the whole, we don't protect them like our computers.

McAfee says that will lead to more spam, more Trojan Horses, and lots of viruses targeted at phones and tablets.

Specifically, McAfee points to what it calls the "Hacktivist" community, "Anonymous" and others, who will hack your phone for reasons both cruel and altruistic.

Either way, it's going to be a pain the virtual neck for you, so brush up on your security.

McAfee (which admittedly has a stake in this) suggests you update your virus fighting software, but also use common sense: Don't click on links if you're not sure they're legit, and don't answer e-mails from organizations that don't normally communicate with you via e-mail.